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The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) prepared the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS) for the Fresno to Bakersfield section of the High Speed Train (HST) project. The Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS is being made available to the public and public agencies pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to Authority and FRA decisions at the conclusion of this project level environmental review. The Authority is the project’s lead agency under CEQA. The FRA is the project’s lead agency under NEPA.

The Draft EIR/EIS for the Fresno to Bakersfield section was released for public review in August 2011. In response to stakeholder, agency, and public feedback on the HST alignment alternatives, the Authority and FRA decided in fall 2011 that it would revise the Draft EIR/EIS to include additional route and station options. The Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS includes new alignment alternatives and station locations west of Hanford, an additional alternative through Bakersfield, and refinements to the existing Fresno to Bakersfield alternative alignments.

Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS: Fresno to Bakersfield

The following documents are available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have a copy of this free software, you can download it from Adobe at http://get.adobe.com/reader. If you already have a copy of this software, simply click on the links and it will open up automatically. Note: many of these files are very large and could take up to several minutes to download.

In addition to posting the electronic version of the Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS on this website, printed copies are provided at libraries and community centers in Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern Counties. A complete listing is available in the brochure under Educational Materials and also at the end of this page. You may also request a CD-ROM of the Fresno to Bakersfield Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS by calling (916) 679-2341.

In the preliminary Section 4(f)/6(f) evaluation, a potential resource was inadvertently reported to be within the “footprint” of disturbance for the BNSF Alternative through Bakersfield. In fact, this resource is located approximately 400 feet south of the BNSF Alternative, within the footprint of disturbance of the Bakersfield South Alternative. Because of the importance of the Section 4(f) determination, the preliminary 4(f)/6(f) evaluation contained in Chapter 4.0 of the Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS has been corrected to indicate that the affected potential resource in Bakersfield would be impacted by the Bakersfield South Alternative. The copies of the Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS available at public locations in the project area are being updated to include the corrected Chapter 4.0. The corrected version of Chapter 4.0 is also available for download from the Authority’s website.

Document Organization

The Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS for the Fresno to Bakersfield section includes the following:

Volume I - Report

Volume II - Technical Appendices

Volume III - Alignment Plans

The purpose of environmental documents is to disclose information to decision makers and the public. While the science and analysis that supports this Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS is complex, this document is intended for the general public. Every attempt has been made to limit technical terms and the use of acronyms. Where this cannot be avoided, the terms and acronyms are defined the first time they are used, and a list of acronyms and abbreviations is provided in Chapter 13 of this document.

The Executive Summary provides an overview of all of the substantive chapters and includes a table listing the potential environmental impacts for each environmental resource topic and directs the reader where to get details elsewhere in the document. A brief explanation of each chapter is also provided (see left) in the Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS.

Chapter 1.0, Project Purpose, Need, and Objectives explains why the project is proposed and provides a history of the planning process.

Chapter 2.0, Alternatives describes the proposed Fresno to Bakersfield section alternatives and design options, HST station options, and heavy maintenance facility options, as well as the No Project Alternative used for purposes of comparison. It contains illustrations and maps and provides a review of construction activities. These first two chapters help the reader understand what is being analyzed in the remainder of the document.

Chapter 3.0, Affected Environment, Environmental Consequences, and Mitigation Measures is where the reader can find information about the existing transportation, environmental, and social conditions in the area of the proposed project, and the potential for the proposed HSR project alternatives to adversely impact those conditions, along with methods to reduce these impacts (called mitigation measures).

Chapter 4.0, Section 4(f)/Section 6(f) Evaluation summarizes parks, and historic properties in accordance with Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 and Section 6(f) of the Land and Water Conservation Funds Act. It describes avoidance alternatives and measures to minimize harm to these resources.

Chapter 5.0, Project Costs and Operations summarizes the estimated capital and operations and maintenance costs for each Fresno to Bakersfield section alternative evaluated in the Project EIR/EIS, including funding and financial risk.

Chapter 6.0, Other CEQA/NEPA Considerations summarizes the project’s significant adverse environmental effects, including those that cannot be avoided if the project is implemented. It also summarizes the significant irreversible environmental changes that would occur as a result of the project or irretrievable commitments of resources or foreclosure of future options.

Chapter 7.0, Public and Agency Involvement contains summaries of coordination and outreach activities, with agencies and the general public.